On Benefits Chapter 21

Gratus animus ipsa virtute propositi sui capitur. Vis scire hoc ita esse nec illum utilitate corrumpi ? Duo genera sunt grati hominis. Dicitur gratus, qui aliquid pro eo, quod acceperat, reddidit ; hic fortasse ostentare se potest, habet, quod iactet, quod proferat. Dicitur gratus, qui bono animo accepit beneficium, bono debet ; hic intra conscientiam elusus est. Quae illi contingere potest utilitas ex adfectu latenti ? Atqui hic, etiam si ultra facere nil potest, gratus est. Amat, debet, referre gratiam cupit ; quidquid ultra desideras, non ipse deest. Artifex est etiam, cui ad exercendam artem instrumenta non suppetunt, nec minus canendi peritus, cuius vocem exaudiri fremitus obstrepentium non sinit. Volo referre gratiam : post hoc aliquid superest mihi, non ut gratus, sed ut solutus sim ; saepe enim et qui gratiam rettulit, ingratus est, et qui non rettulit, gratus. Nam ut omnium aliarum virtutum, ita huius ad animum tota aestimatio redit ; hic si in officio est, quidquid defuit, fortuna peccat. Quomodo est disertus etiam qui tacet, fortis etiam qui compressis manibus vel etiam adligatis, quomodo gubernator etiam, qui in sicco est, quia consummatae scientiae nihil deest, etiam si quid obstat, quominus se utatur, ita gratus est etiam, qui vult tantum nec habet huius voluntatis suae ullum alium quam se testem. Immo amplius adiciam : est aliquando gratus etiam qui ingratus videtur, quem mala interpres opinio contrarium tradidit. Hic quid aliud sequitur quam ipsam conscientiam ? Quae etiam obruta delectat, quae contioni ac famae reclamat et in se omnia reponit et, cum ingentem ex altera parte turbam contra sentientium adspexit, non numerat suffragia, sed una sententia vincit. Si vero bonam fidem perfidiae suppliciis adfici videt, non descendit e fastigio et supra poenam suam consistit. " Habeo," inquit, " quod volui, quod petii ; nec paenitet nec paenitebit nec ulla iniquitate me eo fortuna perducet, ut hanc vocem audiat : ' Quid mihi volui ? Quid nunc mihi prodest bona voluntas ? ' " Prodest et in eculeo, prodest et in igne ; qui si singulis membris admoveatur et paulatim vivum corpus circumeat, licet ipsum cor plenum bona conscientia stillet : placebit illi ignis, per quem bona fides conlucebit.

A grateful mind is attracted only by a sense of the beauty of its purpose. Do you wish to know this to be so, and that it is not bribed by ideas of profit? There are two classes of grateful men: a man is called grateful who has made some return for what he received; this man may very possibly display himself in this character, he has something to boast of, to refer to. We also call a man grateful who receives a benefit with goodwill, and owes it to his benefactor with goodwill; yet this man's gratitude lies concealed within his own mind. What profit can accrue to him from this latent feeling? yet this man, even though he is not able to do anything more than this, is grateful; he loves his benefactor, he feels his debt to him, he longs to repay his kindness; whatever else you may find wanting, there is nothing wanting in the man. He is like a workman who has not the tools necessary for the practice of his craft, or like a trained singer whose voice cannot be heard through the noise of those who interrupt him. I wish to repay a kindness: after this there still remains something for me to do, not in order that I may become grateful, but that I may discharge my debt; for, in many cases, he who returns a kindness is ungrateful for it, and he who does not return it is grateful. Like all other virtues, the whole value of gratitude lies in the spirit in which it is done; so, if this man's purpose be loyal, any shortcomings on his part are due not to himself, but to fortune. A man who is silent may, nevertheless, be eloquent; his hands may be folded or even bound, and he may yet be strong; just as a pilot is a pilot even when upon dry land, because his knowledge is complete, and there is nothing wanting to it, though there may be obstacles which prevent his making use of it. In the same way, a man is grateful who only wishes to be so, and who has no one but himself who can bear witness to his frame of mind. I will go even further than this: a man sometimes is grateful when he appears to be ungrateful, when ill-judging report has declared him to be so. Such a man can look to nothing but his own conscience, which can please him even when overwhelmed by calumny, which contradicts the mob and common rumour, relies only upon itself, and though it beholds a vast crowd of the other way of thinking opposed to it, does not count heads, but wins by its own vote alone. Should it see its own good faith meet with the punishment due to treachery, it will not descend from its pedestal, and will remain superior to its punishment. "I have," it says, "what I wished, what I strove for. I do not regret it, nor shall I do so; nor shall fortune, however unjust she may be, ever hear me say, 'What did I want? What now is the use of having meant well?'" A good conscience is of value on the rack, or in the fire; though fire be applied to each of our limbs, gradually encircle our living bodies, and burst our heart, yet if our heart be filled with a good conscience, it will rejoice in the fire which will make its good faith shine before the world.

Un cœur reconnaissant n’est séduit que par la pureté même de ses intentions. En veux-tu la preuve, veux-tu voir que l’intérêt ne le corrompt point ? Il y a deux manières d’être reconnaissant : on donne ce titre à l’homme qui rend quelque chose pour ce qu’il a reçu. Peut-être aura-t-il de l’ostentation ; il a quelque acte à faire valoir, à mettre en avant. Ce même titre on le donne encore à celui qui reçoit de bon cœur, qui de bon cœur avoue sa dette. Ce dernier est réduit à sa conscience : quel avantage peut-il attendre d’un sentiment resté secret ? Toutefois cet homme, fût-il hors d’état de rien faire de plus, est reconnaissant : il aime, il est obligé, il brûle de payer sa dette. Ce qu’on pourrait désirer encore ne manque pas par sa faute. On ne cesse point d’être artisan, pour n’avoir pas sous la main les instruments de son art ; on n’en est pas moins bon chanteur pour ne pouvoir faire entendre sa voix qu’étouffent les frémissements de la foule. Je veux payer ma dette : outre ce vouloir, il me reste à faire quelque chose non pour être reconnaissant, mais pour être quitte. Souvent en effet qui a payé sa dette est ingrat, qui ne l’a pas payée est reconnaissant. Comme toute autre vertu, celle-ci s’apprécie entièrement par le for intérieur. S’il fait ce qu’il doit, ce qui reste inachevé doit s’imputer à la Fortune. Un homme peut être éloquent sans parler ; robuste, les bras croisés ou même enchaînés ; bon pilote, quoique en terre ferme : car, une fois consommé dans son art, il ne peut rien perdre aux obstacles qui l’empêchent de le mettre en œuvre ; ainsi on est reconnaissant rien qu’en voulant l’être, sans avoir de cette volonté que soi-même pour témoin. Je dirai plus : on peut être reconnaissant même en ingrat, et quand l’opinion, aveugle interprète, nous signale faussement comme tels. Quel autre guide suit-on alors que cette conscience même qui, refoulée en nous, fait encore notre joie, qui crie plus haut que la multitude et que la renommée, qui est à elle seule notre univers, et qui, ayant en face d’elle une immense foule de contradicteurs, ne compte pas les voix, mais l’emporte par son seul suffrage . Que si elle voit infliger à sa loyauté les châtiments de la trahison, loin qu’elle descende de sa hauteur, elle s’élève au-dessus même de son supplice.